De meesterproef in de chirurgijnsopleiding

An example for the present day

The current requirement for explicit quality standards and examination of surgeons is an opportunity to contemplate surgical training from a historical perspective by looking at the regulations of the Amsterdam Surgeons’ Guild (1461-1736). At that time Amsterdam surgeons usually trained for five years in a master-apprentice relationship under the guidance of a master surgeon in a surgeon’s shop. An important part of the surgical training took place in the botanical gardens and anatomical theatre, where, during the weekly lessons, the praelector anatomiae would also demonstrate anatomy on the bodies of the deceased. Surgical training was complete after the trainee had passed the ‘meesterproef’ (master’s exam), in which the manufacturing of lancets, blood-letting and performing a trepanation on a skull played a major part. However, over the course of time the final master’s exam as the ultimate test of capability at the end of surgical training has disappeared. From the perspective of renewed interest in explicit quality standards and examination of surgeons, the reintroduction of a modern master’s exam should perhaps be considered.